French Road Trip 2024 Day 6 - Marseille to Saint Tropez 162km
After having a nice relaxing coffee at the hotel des Moulins in Allauch, just outside Marseille, it was on with the journey, to date most of the roads in France have been quite uninteresting, but today we drove through some lovely areas of the Sainte-Baume Natural park, after about 45 minutes drive we spotted a sign to El Castellet described as a medieval village and decided to go and explore.
Le Castellet is a really beautiful medieval village, known for its narrow cobblestone streets, charming boutiques, and well-preserved historical architecture, it’s a quintessential Provençal village that attracts visitors seeking an authentic experience of the region’s heritage and beauty.
Medieval Origins: Le Castellet dates back to the 12th century and was originally a fortified hilltop village. Much of its original structure, including stone walls, arched gateways, and a central castle (now the town hall), remains intact.
Le Castellet is perched on a hill, offering stunning views over the vineyards, olive groves, and countryside of Provence. The village is surrounded by lush landscapes that change with the seasons, making it a picturesque location to visit any time of the year, and even in October there were quite a few visitors.
The Église Saint-Sauveur (Church of Saint-Sauveur) in Le Castellet is a small yet beautiful church located in the heart of this medieval Provençal village. Built in a Romanesque style, the church dates back to the 12th century and has been a central part of village life for centuries.
The bell tower, with its striking square base and unique openings, is one of the most distinguishing features of the church.
Castle (Le Château): The Château de Le Castellet sits at the village’s highest point and now serves as the town hall. Though it’s not open to the public, its impressive stone façade and surrounding panoramic views make it a highlight of any visit.
French Road Trip 2024 Day 6
Art Galleries and Boutiques: The village is known for its artisan shops, art galleries, and local crafts. Visitors can browse ceramics, jewellery, and handcrafted souvenirs that reflect Provençal style and artistry. Most of these lovely shops were open and we enjoyed seeing all the local products and the smell of lavender was everywhere. All these shops had made a really great effort to blend in with their surroundings, many with colourful flowers around the doors, giving the whole village a fantastic atmosphere.
Food and Wine: Local Provençal flavours are abundant in Le Castellet, from olive products to the wines of the nearby Bandol wine region. There are several cozy restaurants and cafes where you can sample traditional Provençal cuisine. Unfortunately most of the restaurants were closed on our visit, we may have been too early in the day as we are still getting used to French meal times, or they could have been closed for the season. This would be a very popular place for a meal out during high season.
What we did love where all the traditional blue shutters, popular in this area on many of the houses.
Although very quiet this time of the day and season, we both loved El Castellet, everyone here is very friendly and helpful, English was widely spoken so there was no language barrier, it was a really lovely place to spend a few hours, and we were here much longer than we expected.
After such a lovely visit to somewhere unexpected along the way its now onwards to Saint-Tropez, unfortunately official weather alerts are now in place for heavy rain and thunderstorm, and there are warnings not to travel too far, but we have another 104km to travel to our next overnight accommodation.
Luckily the weather was not too bad with just some showers along the way, which did spoil the journey but we arrived safely in Saint-Tropez, we checked into our hotel and then headed into the town itself.
French Road Trip 2024 Day 6
Saint-Tropez
This is a glamorous seaside town on the French Riviera, known for its beautiful beaches, historic charm, and vibrant nightlife. Nestled in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France.
Saint-Tropez has long been a favoured destination for artists, celebrities, and travellers from around the world. Originally a quiet fishing village, it gained fame in the 1950s after being featured in movies and becoming a hotspot for the jet set crowd.
Unfortunately this time of year everything seemed to be shutting as we arrived, not sure if this was normal for the time of year or businesses were being cautious due to the weather alerts, either way our visit was a big disappointment, and it was nothing like we expected, basically its a VERY expensive place, and you need deep pockets to spend any real time here, the only item we purchased was a fridge magnet at 5€ the most expensive one on this trip, but it does prove we have been here.
The Vieux Port (Old Port) is Lined with luxury yachts, chic cafes, and seafood restaurants, the Vieux Port is one of the main focal points of Saint-Tropez, when everything is open and the weather is good we are sure it would be great for people watching, but this time of year, when its dark and wet, its all quite depressing and disappointing.
There are lots of shops such as Louis Vuitton, Hermès, and Chanel located near the Vieux Port, along with smaller, unique shops offering local fashion and accessories at extortionate prices, all of which were closed, which made Derek sigh with relief.
Key Highlights of Saint-Tropez: Not that we were able to see many due to the weather.
Old Town (La Ponche): Saint-Tropez's old quarter, La Ponche, is a delightful maze of narrow, cobblestone streets lined with pastel-coloured buildings, cafes, and boutiques. It’s a quiet, atmospheric area where you can still feel the village's traditional charm and history.
Musée de l'Annonciade: Housed in a 16th-century chapel, this museum features an impressive collection of modern art, showcasing the work of artists like Paul Signac, Henri Matisse, and Georges Braque. Signac, who lived in Saint-Tropez, was instrumental in attracting other painters to the town, establishing it as an artists’ haven in the early 20th century.
Citadel of Saint-Tropez: This 17th-century fortress sits on a hill overlooking the town and offers panoramic views of the bay. It now houses the Maritime History Museum, which showcases the town’s history as a fishing port and naval base.
Place des Lices: A classic Provençal square where locals and visitors gather for a game of pétanque (French lawn bowling) under the shade of plane trees. On Tuesdays and Saturdays, it hosts an open-air market with fresh produce, artisan goods, and clothing.
Pampelonne Beach: Just outside of town, this famous beach stretches for nearly five kilometers along the coast and is home to upscale beach clubs like Club 55, Nikki Beach, and Bagatelle. Pampelonne is known for its clear turquoise waters, soft sand, and lively beach scene.
Tahiti Beach: This beach, located at the north end of Pampelonne, is known for its chic, sophisticated vibe and was one of the first beaches to attract high-profile visitors.
Plage de la Bouillabaisse: Closer to the town center, this beach is family-friendly and offers excellent views of the sunset over the Mediterranean.
Driving around in the dark, we did not get to see any of the above, and I hardly took the camera out due to the weather, so there are not many photos of our visit to Saint-Tropez.
Feeling hungry we decided to try and find a restaurant open, eventually after tramping the streets we found one open, which although had large TV screens showing the football, did have some tables set up for dinners, we were seated and handed the menu, there was not a lot of choice and the prices were horrendous, 44€ for a burger, fries were extra, out of principle we were not prepared to pay those prices.
Starving hungry we resorted to going back to the car and decided to find the nearest McDonalds, even those here in France are different to any others we have ever been to. as drinks are served in plastic glasses, not paper as were the fries, no soggy paper cups here in France.
Fed at last, it was time to head to our overnight accommodation and relax, hoping the storms would not be too bad in this area.
French Road Trip 2024, Night 6 accommodation Sowell Hotels, Grimaud, Saint-Tropez 59€ plus and extra 8€ city tax but with free on site parking.
Having exhausted our search for moderately priced accommodation in Saint Tropez itself we picked this hotel just a short distance away.
We were shocked on check in to be told we would need to pay a 200€ deposit, a bit over the top for a one night stay and a couple of our age (late 50s, early 60s).
The room had a very large double bed was extremely spacious with a good bathroom. Our room also had a small patio with sun loungers (not that we would be using them in this weather) and direct access to an open green area and quite close to the pool, sadly this area was very unkempt with long grass and plenty of weeds.
Would we stay again, yes if the price was right and we were in the area and apparently there was access to a beach just a short distance away.
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